Raybay’s Donut Company came out of the blue.

Or at least it did for owner Rebecca Denney, who had never made donuts before starting her new dough-licious business in Eau Claire.

“I love baking,” Denney said. “I’ve always loved baking. I’ve never made any big deal out of it.”

The former Blugold-turned-Spanish interpreter became a stay-at-home mom four years ago, and – once the pandemic hit – began ordering donuts every Saturday from Bogart’s Doughnut Co. in Minneapolis, which sends delectable donuts to Northbound Supply Co., who then delivers them to your door. That got Denney thinking: Why are there no absolutely mind-blowing donuts in the Chippewa Valley?

That’s when she rolled up her sleeves and decided to start her own donut shop right out of her home in Eau Claire.

“I thought, well it can’t be that complicated,” she said. “It is. To get it right, it is.”

She estimates she made 10 batches of donuts before she reached the perfect recipe. She gave donuts away to friends and family to get their response. “I got a huge thumbs up from everybody,” she said.
Her business name, Raybay, derives from a nickname of Denney’s – “Rebe” – which came from her collegiate experience studying abroad in Costa Rica, where the shortened version of “Rebecca” is “Rebe.” (The business’s name is spelled phonetically to make reading it a little easier.)

“I want to be the best, and I want to continue to be the best.”

Rebecca Denney

RAYBAY'S DONUT COMPANY

So far, her customers’ top-favorite donut is her Oreo donut, but she also offers a delectable chocolate glaze, strawberry glaze, and a plain all-around glaze – all made from scratch. She also plans to make festive donuts for the holiday season. Denney’s donut shop is the first of its kind in Eau Claire, but, “To me, that’s not enough,” she said. “I want to be the best, and I want to continue to be the best.”

Her goal is to someday open a brick-and-mortar location, after her kiddos reach school age. For now, she’s content making deliveries right to your door!

And, the reaction to her grand opening couldn’t be better. “There needs to be an emoji that has its mouth watering,” commented one local on Facebook. “Congrats!!!! 🤤🍩😍” commented another. Others left reaction GIFs bubbling with excitement.

If you’re pumped about sweet local treats too, you can jump onto Raybay’s email list at their Facebook page (www.facebook.com/raybaysdonutco) to order some of their delicious donuts.